Just Breath
by Spacewaffles07
Summary: Takes place before "Forgiven" trilogy. Ezra and Sabine are on a mission to steal Imperial Intel, when they get locked in the city for twenty-four hours. Sabine X Ezra. Rated T because violence.


**Well I was asked to post some of my other stories, so here's a short one I wrote that was meant to be a prequel to "Forgiven"**

 **Not a lot of foreshadowing, it's not like if you don't read this you'll miss out on some big reveal.**

 **i wrote this before "Forgiven"**

 **So ya. Enjoy.**

"Stop being such a baby."

"I'm not being a baby!"

"Then do it."

Ezra silently turned back around to face the challenge in front of him. Sabine sighed impatiently and walked forward, pushing the fifteen-year-old aside, her hands fixed squarely on her hips. "Nevermind I'll do it myself."

"But Kanan told me it was my job!"

"No he didn't, you're making that up."

Sabine overlooked the streets and the long dark alleyways from the rooftop they were stationed on, waiting to see if the scheduled fleet of troops was to arrive at the planned time. "Can't I just go with you?" Ezra whined. "No," she snapped, "One of us has to stay here and cover the building."

"Can't you do that?"

"No, Kanan told you to do it."

Ezra rolled his eyes impatiently. "Fine," he groaned, "but we have a time limit, so don't take your sweet time with your paint."

"I'll be quick."

She leaped down from the rooftop, and landed on her feet in the dark alleyway below, briefly checking her surroundings, before entering the Empire Complex wing. Ezra pressed his com when Sabine was out of sight. "Specter six to specter one. Specter five is in the building. Over." About five minutes passed before his com was receiving a message. There was a brief period of static before a reply came through.

" _Spector one to Spector six, we only have four minutes before troops move in. Has Spector five left the building? I repeat, has Spector five left the building? Over."_

"Spector 1, Spector five is still in the building."

He switched off his com. "What's taking her so long?" he mumbled to himself, crouching down and peering over the empty streets, only Storm Troopers lingering in the shadows. Ezra groaned impatiently, and switched on his com. "Spector six to Spector five. You are running out of time. Get out of there."

" _Spector six to five, I've got this under control. I've got the imperial shipment disc, it has all the vital info we needed. Just making sure we close this off."_

"Spector five, you don't have time to use your paints. Stormtroopers are heading into the northern and western entrances, you're going to have to exit through the roof."

" _Copy that Spector six, heading out the roof, just leaving my mark."_

Ezra clicked his com angrily to reply, "Spector five, you don't have time! You have to leave."

" _Spector six, I'm almost done."_

"Stop being stubborn and get out of there!"

The com let out a brief second of sound, then went to static. "Spector five do you copy?" he asked, clicking his com fiercely. "Spector five!?" he asked again. He clicked his com again. "Spector six to Spector one, I've lost communications with Spector five. Over."

" _This is Spector one, is Spector five still in the building?"_

"...Yes, Spector five is still in the building. Should I keep position or-"

" _Yes, keep position, we are sending reinforcements, I repeat, we are sending in reinforcements."_

As usual, Ezra disobeyed, concerned about his fellow teammate. So, despite his master's orders, he hopped down from the roof, and entered the building.

Ezra cautiously walked forward, silently planting his feet in front of him, in case stormtroopers were nearby. He froze when he saw Sabine, standing in an open area, spraying a large picture on the side of a wall.

"Sabine!" he whisper yelled. She quickly turned around, two bottles of spray paint in her hands. He gestured for her to follow him, but she rolled her eyes and turned back around, continuing to spray. Ezra groaned impatiently, and grabbed her hand, pulling her away from her artwork. "What are you doing?" she snapped. "SHH!" he retorted, holding a finger to his lips.

"Freeze!" they heard a voice say. The two teens turned, facing a number of troopers, their blasters all directed at them. "Run!" Ezra yelled, and bolted off, Sabine not far behind.

They both ran out of the building, heading towards the city's border. "You have the disc?" Ezra asked, still running. "Ya, about that…" Sabine stated awkwardly. Ezra's eyes widened. "You forgot the disc?!"

"I got distracted!"

"We have to go back and get it. You keep running, I'll wrap around the side of this building; It'll lead me to the Empire Complex's northern wing, where the disc should be."

Ezra groaned frustratedly, "We wouldn't be having this problem if you had just gotten the stupid disc and left!"

"Just go!"

Ezra snarled, then rounded the corner. Ezra clicked his com, still running towards the Empire Complex. "Spector six to Ghost; Spector five is headed your way."

" _This is Spector two, do you have the disc?"_

"Ya, about that…"

" _Do you not have the disc?"_

"...No, Spector two, we do not have the disc, headed back for it right now."

" _Copy that."_

Ezra stopped, and backed up, hiding behind the corner of a building, noticing the bypassing stormtroopers, and the three or four that covered the entrance to the north wing. After the bypassing fleet had passed, he tossed a stone, far off enough that it momentarily distracted the three troopers by the door. Knowing he didn't have much time, he ran towards the door, and hacked through the security breach, opened the door, and rushed inside.

After a brief five minutes of searching for the disc, he finally came across it, and shoved it in his pocket, but noticed the second disc next to it, and quickly read the inscription, and shoved it in the same pocket.

Ezra ran back to the spot where he had left Sabine, and groaned irritably, "You're still painting?!"

"What? I had time."

"Stop right there," an unfamiliar voice threatened.

Agent Kallus and thirteen other guards directed their blasters at them, Agent Kallus with a smirk across his twisted, sick face. "Give me the disc boy," Agent Kallus ordered, "And I just might let you live." Ezra and Sabine both glared at him. "Do it, and she lives."

Ezra turned and saw a stormtrooper holding both of Sabine's arms behind her back, a blaster aimed at the side of her head. "Ezra, don't give it to him!" Sabine pleaded, trying to escape the trooper's tight grasp. Ignoring her statement, Ezra reached into his pocket, and felt around for a moment, before taking it out, and tossing it to Kallus. The trooper released Sabine, and almost a second later, she turned and stunned him with her blaster, before turning and stunning more. Ezra did the same, pulling out his lightsaber, remembering he had a blaster embedded into the side. "Cover me!" Sabine yelled, turning to her unfinished mural. "Sabine," he fired a shot, "you don't have time."

When he turned to confront her, another trooper held a blaster to her head. "Put down your weapon boy," the trooper said. Ezra groaned again, "Will you stop getting grabbed?"

Ezra hesitantly put down his lightsaber at his feet, and put his hands up. Ezra's eyes darted to his left, seeing the unattended blaster on the ground. _Come on Ezra, use the force_ , he told himself. Closing his eyes, he made the blaster move towards him, before it flew into his hands.

He quickly fired three shots at the trooper, who now lay motionless on the ground. He had stunned people before, but never, ever, killed. It just wasn't the jedi way, but right now, in that very moment, he had killed someone. He dropped his blaster in shock at the realization of what he had just done.

He absentmindedly continued running, trying to make it towards the city borders, then quickly realized that Sabine was not behind him. He froze, and gasped, turning when he heard the ominous explosion; where he had left Sabine. It was a large puff of random color and sparks, echoing through the streets from the loud BOOM, a column of thick black smoke spiraling up towards the sky. "No," Ezra whispered in a low voice.

He immediately sped towards the explosion, desperately searching through the thick black cloud that surrounded him. His breathing became hitched and rigid, the thick smog filling his lungs. Ezra coughed into his sleeve, and covered his mouth with his gloved hand. The smoke began to sting his eyes, the little pieces of falling ember attaching to his jumpsuit. As Ezra walked, he noticed the paint residue on the hard concrete streets, and the half demolished can of paint, and he theorized that a blaster had hit the entire can of paint, causing the massive explosion. But Sabine had her can with her… Ezra thought, trying to piece things together. It had all happened so fast he barely had time to register anything that was going through his head. If Sabine had been in range of the explosion, he had to find her, fast.

He rapidly searched the rubble of anything that had been in range of the large explosion; it had demolished most of the outer carts and goods left on the streets. He began to panic, he had been searching for awhile now, and wondered is she had been captured, if he hadn't been there in time. He pondered briefly on this thought before seeing something amongst the discarded rubble. Through the dark smoke he could only make out a feathery outline, before noticing the bright orange color that was clearly visible through the darkness; Sabine's hair. "Sabine," he whispered, quickly maneuvering through the the demolition, before silently calling her name again, hoping she would stir, move, do, or say anything, anything that would let him know she was okay, but she remained still.

He knelt beside her, overlooking her body, searching for any wounds or injuries, and took a sharp breath when he saw the large bruises along her body, and the purple-ish welt on the side of her head, and felt his skin turn to ice when he saw her side. The skin was open and singed, she had been directly hit by the explosion, the paint canister having been on her waistband; it had even gotten through her armor. "No, no, no, no, no..." he pleaded, silently praying she would be okay. He began to panic even more when her chest did not rise and fall; she wasn't breathing.

Ezra began to press on her chest, trying desperately to force the air into her. "Come on," he pleaded. Her eyes remained closed, her body completely still. "Come on!" he pleaded once more, pressing harder. He tilted her head back, and paused momentarily, but continued because she was dying. His trembling, cold lips touched hers, and he blew gently, and paused for breath. He pressed his lips on her again more forcefully, blowing a little harder, hoping the air would reach her lungs. He parted from her, and began to press on her chest again, and repeated the pattern for countless minutes, tears filling his eyes. "Come. On. Just. Breathe!" Ezra pleaded. Her body remained still.

He tilted her head back one more time, pressing his lips against hers, blowing the air forcefully down her throat, tears rolling down his cheeks. He slowly parted from her, and waited, hoping she would just open her eyes, move, flinch, do something, anything. He hesitantly pulled out his com, and with weak fingers and hands, pressed the small button on the side. "This is Spector six to Ghost. We've lost Spector five," Ezra said silently into the little piece of machinery, his voice cracking near the end of his sentence.

...

" _This is Ghost to Spector six. Can you repeat that?"_

Ezra paused in shock at the realization of what he had just said. He denied it, re thinking it, over, and over again. She wasn't gone. She can't be. "We're losing Spector five, you need to send in reinforcements."

" _Spector six, they're putting the city on lockdown, nothing and no one can get in, or out."_

"How long until lockdown is over?"

"... _twenty-four hours."_

Ezra sighed impatiently. _Twenty-four hours?_ He was going to be stuck in this fricken city, with Sabine unconscious, with a city full of bucket heads. "Karabast," he mumbled to himself, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Can you shut down lockdown anytime soon?"

 _"I doubt it, but we can try. Just…..out…sight...ju-"_

The message cut in and out, before going to static. The empire had jammed the signal. "Just. Great," Ezra muttered impatiently.

Ezra jolted when he heard the Stormtroopers coming close, he figured they would eventually survey the area because of the explosion. He picked up Sabine, and grunted because she was actually quite heavy, and dashed off as fast as he could, with as much strength as he could muster. "Search the entire city. Those rebels will not escape," Ezra heard Agent Kallus direct the troopers.

He found an old abandoned building, he figured the empire has driven whoever lived here out, and dashed inside with Sabine still unconscious, and lay her down for a moment, and opened the underground hatch in the floor, and once again picked up Sabine, climbing down the rickety, old, metal ladder. He gently lay Sabine's cold body on the old leather booth that lined the wall, then went back to close the hatch in the ceiling, or floor, depending on where you were standing.

He he knew that most houses on Lothal had an underground room, because of the wars. They were rarely used, but they existed.

"Twenty-fours hours," Ezra muttered apathetically. He jolted, hearing a wheezy hitched breath come from Sabine, then slowed down, recurring and steady. Ezra rushed to Sabine's side, and sighed with relief; she was breathing. Her eyes remained closed, her body still motionless, but, she was breathing.

 **So ya.**

 **I like to think that this takes place a couple weeks after Fire Across the Galaxy, and before Siege of Lothal. Forgiven takes place after Siege of Lothal.**

 **So ya this takes place years before Forgiven.**

 **This story will not be my top priority. Forgiven is. But I will copy and paste the chapters as I go.**

 **Byee make good choices!**


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